New rail timetable to benefit passengers in Birmingham

Monday, 2 December 2019

Passengers in Birmingham will benefit from a more reliable rail service when the new West Midlands Railway timetable comes into effect later this month.

The new timetable comes into operation on Sunday 15 December, bringing with it a number of changes aimed at improving the reliability of services across the region.

Among the changes benefiting passengers in Birmingham are:

• An hourly shuttle between Birmingham New Street and Birmingham International
• Additional late night services on the Cross City Line as well as some additional carriages
• Improved reliability on the Chase Line with more services contained in the West Midlands
• Sunday morning trains to and from Rugeley restored after a three-year gap for engineering work

Richard Brooks, head of customer experience for West Midlands Railway, said:

"The new timetable we introduced in May brought in new journey opportunities and allowed us to carry more passengers but it also introduced complexity which has impacted on reliability.

"The changes we are making this month will simplify the timetable with more services starting and finishing within the West Midlands.

"Allied with the additional carriages coming into service across our network, passengers across the West Midlands should start to enjoy a more reliable service, with more improvements to follow next year."

Passengers are advised to check their journeys by visiting www.wmr.uk

About West Midlands Trains

For further information on this release, call our press office on 03300 955150 or email [email protected]

West Midlands Trains operates both West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway services.

• London Northwestern Railway services operate between Liverpool and Birmingham, and on the West Coast mainline to and from London Euston.

• West Midlands Railway services operate to destinations across the West Midlands via Birmingham New Street.

For more information on these services visit westmidlandsrailway.co.uk or londonnorthwesternrailway.co.uk

The West Midlands Trains franchise started on 10 December 2017 and will run until 2025/26.

West Midlands Trains operates 1,300 services a day, manages 150 stations and provides over 70 million passenger journeys a year. Over the course of the franchise, West Midlands Trains will be investing £1 billion into the rail network to deliver new trains, improved routes and station upgrades. This will include 400 new train carriages across the network and space for an extra 85,000 passengers into Birmingham and London at peak times.

The franchise is a joint venture between Abellio (70.1% share) and East Japan Railway Company / Mitsui & Co., Ltd (29.9% share in a 50:50 split). Abellio is the international passenger transport subsidiary of the Dutch national railway company, Nederlandse Spoorwegen. In the UK, Abelllio operates ScotRail and Greater Anglia train services, Merseyrail services in a joint venture with Serco and buses through Abellio London. For more information visit www.abellio.com

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